The Hunt
by JoJackJenDawsPac
Summary: Hunter runs away from Michael on the run from the police. Mikey needs Brian's help but brian has his own problems.
1. 1 Gone Missing

Michael yawned and stretched his arms out. He kept his eyes tightly shut, hoping that the last 24 hours had been a dream. A bad dream. He wanted to look next to him and see Ben. He wanted to walk down to the liberty diner, kiss his mother, and walk down the street and open his comic book store. He wanted to close for lunch and wait in the long line to vote for mayor. He knew he had to open his eyes and face the facts.  
  
At first everything was blurry. He rubbed his eyes. There was no Ben next to him. Only a once occupied twin bed. "Hunter?" he said groggily. All he could see was a white piece of paper laying on the unmade bed. He walked over and picked up the note. He read it aloud. "Mike, I've caused you enough trouble and now it's time for me to take care of myself. Go back home. Burn this letter. Tell them you don't know anything. Thanks. Hunter." He looked at the note in shock. In a rush he got dressed and stuffed his dirty t-shit in the bag he brought. The motel check-out seemed to take forever. He looked down, but then remembered he had left his watch at home. "What time is it?"  
  
"It's eight, sir." He thanked the man and walked to a near by pay phone. He dialed Brian's number.  
  
"What?" said an angry Brian and he picked his cellphone. He could hear Justin's voice in the backround. 'Who the fuck calls at this time of morning?' Michael rolled his eyes.  
  
"It's me."  
  
"Mikey?"  
  
"Yea."  
  
"How's my baby treating you."  
  
"I can't thank you enough for the car. Has Ben called?"  
  
"Yea. Um, hold on, I wrote it down." He got up and heard Brian talking to Justin. "It's Mikey. Oh here it is." He put the phone back up to his ear. "He said at ten call him at work. He left his number." As Michael wrote down the digits on his hand, he could only think what the hell he would do until ten.  
  
"Thank's Brian. Love you."  
  
"You to." They hung up and Michael walked back to his car, determined to find Hunter.  
  
~~~  
  
Ben stared at the phone. It was 10:05, where the hell was Michael and Hunter? He needed to talk to him before the police tapped that phone too. The phone rang. Before the first ring had even rung, he had his phone up to his ear. "Hello?"  
  
"Ben?"  
  
"Oh god Mike I thought you would never call."  
  
"It's only five after."  
  
"I know. Where's Hunter?"  
  
"Uh-" Ben cut him off.  
  
"Look, I told them that you were at a comic book convention and that when Hunter saw his mom he ran."  
  
"Ben, he did run."  
  
"What? He's gone?" Michael read him the letter, and then again. "Okay, Mike, you've got to come home. I can't handle this by myself."  
  
"What about Hunter?"  
  
"We have to talk about what to do next, but you have to come back. Where are you anyway."  
  
"I was staying at some crummy motel in New York. It will take me a while to get home. Hunter didn't have a car so he couldn't have gotten far. I've been looking for him all morning."  
  
"Okay. Just come home. Look, I have a class. I'll talk to you when you get back."  
  
"Ben?"  
  
"Yea?"  
  
"I love you."  
  
"You too."  
  
~~~  
  
Brian popped an asprin, then another one. He stared around his now totally empty apartment. The only thing he had left was his bed. He layed down again and closed his eyes. He opened them and turned over to see Justin staring at him. "How are you going to afford your loft now."  
  
"I'll be fine."  
  
"Don't lie. I know you wont be fine because you don't have a job. Not to mention you spent all your savings on promoting our new mayor."  
  
"If it wasn't for me, he'd be nothing."  
  
"If it wasn't for him, you'd have money."  
  
"Yea well, money isn't everything."  
  
"Since when?"  
  
"Yea well, you don't have money or school anymore. And whose fault is that."  
  
"Stockwell's. Besides, uou don't have a school to pay for."  
  
"Don't even bring that up. I'm fine."  
  
"You're gonna beg for your job back, arent you. You're in debt up to your...well you're in debt." Brian gave him a sarcastic look.  
  
"I don' beg." He got up. "I'm gonna take a shower. You're welcome to join me." He smirked at Justin. 


	2. 2 What Next?

Michael parked in front of Brian's apartment. He didn't even know why he was walking up the stairs. Everything seemed clear of his mind. While in the elevator, for only a second, he forgot where he was and where he was going. When the thought popped back to him, he felt extremly dumb and all of a sudden, very stressed out. He knocked on the door. "Brian, Brian! Are you in there?" he yelled. He looked at his watch. It was 2:30 in the afternoon. But Brian opened the door, looking like he had been disrupted from hibernation. He looked at Michael for a moment. First angry and tired, then confused, then happy.   
  
"Mikey! What the fuck are you doing here?"  
  
"Hunter ran away."  
  
"Well, at least he's gone. And your back! This is great." He opened the door wider, and Michael walked in.   
  
"God Brian, do you ever wear pants?"  
  
"Right. Where are my manners." The sarcasm was dripping from his words. Michael just rolled his eyes as Brian sat down and put a pillow on his neud lap. Michael continued to talk.  
  
"Hunter ran away and it's not a good thing. What if his mom finds him? What if he has to start hustling again?" Michael was talking so fast and Brian was so hungover, he couldn't understand anything that Michael was saying.  
  
"Woah, Mikey, you're giving me a headache. Well, a worse one." Michael sighed. For the first time, he looked around Brian's apartment.  
  
"What the fuck happened? Where's all your stuff?"  
  
"Not here."  
  
"No shit. Why?"  
  
"Because my money's gone."  
  
"All of it? Havent you gotten your job back yet?"  
  
"How the hell am I supposed to do that?"  
  
"Beg."  
  
"I don't beg!" He yelled this and it echoed through his empty apartment.  
  
"Okay, don't have a tantrum. Are you gonna get a new job?"  
  
"I... I don't know Mikey. I don't think I really have a choice. I'm 100,000 dollars in debt."  
  
"How the hell-" but Brian cut him off.  
  
"I payed for the commercial."  
  
"What commercial?"  
  
"The one against Stockwell."  
  
"Brian... Why?"  
  
"He closed up the back room."  
  
"That is not why. You care." He smiled, but then he wiped the smile off his face, remembering the big problem. "Okay, it will all be fine. I'm gonna call you later, but I have to get home. Thanks for the car." Brian stood up, and the pillow fell from his lap.  
  
"Love ya, Mikey."  
  
"You to." They kissed, but not passionatly. Michael left and ran to the bus stop.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
When Michael arrived in front of his apartment building, he was glad there were no police cars. He needed to see Ben. It had been two days and he needed sex to relieve him of his worries. The first thing he was planning to do when he saw Ben was give him the best kiss he had ever had. "Michael! I missed you."  
  
"I missed you too." They kissed, but not for long. "We have to find Hunter. But where? Ben, what if the police find him before us."  
  
"He's smart. He'll be fine. We have to figure out what to do."  
  
"We have to find him!"  
  
"And then what?" Michael was silent. Ben was right. What would they do, run away again?  
  
"You're right. But what do we do?"  
  
"I have no idea. But the police are looking for him. I got them off my back by telling them he ran away and you were at a comic convention."  
  
"I know."  
  
"But they still tapped our phones."  
  
"Shit, no."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Okay. I've got to go to my mom's house and tell her."  
  
"Okay. Maybe she can come up with a plan."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Justin, sweetie, get me a decaf." Justin looked at Emmett's tired and sad face.  
  
"Sure." he poured the coffee, and tried to strike up a conversation. "So, how are things?" He had heard from Melanie about the whole Ted Emmett ordeal.  
  
"I really don't feel...i don't feel like talking right now."  
  
"Sure." He paused and once again said, "Sure." That's when Brian walked in, wearing a suit.  
  
"Going to beg for your job back?" Brian looked at him scornfully. Justin smirked.  
  
"I don't beg."  
  
"Then where are you going wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase."  
  
"I don't think that's any of your buisness." Brian sat next to Emmett and put his arm around him. "So, hows our Teddy?" Emmett looked at him, and Brian smiled.  
  
"Fuck you."  
  
"Oh, not in the talking mood i see." He smiled wider. Then he yelled to Justin, "Can we get some service." He looked back to Emmett. "Boy, am I famished. I think I'll have..."  
  
"Move it," Emmett said. Brian moved to the other side of the bench and Emmett left some money and walked out the door. Justin walked up to Brian, laughter in his voice.  
  
"You are such an asshole."  
  
"Oh, and you love me for it." They kissed, and Brian looked at his watch. "I have an appointment that I can't miss." He stuck a five dollar bill in Justin's pocket. "Buy yourself something nice." He picked up his briefcase and walked out the door. He climbed in his car and drove off. Justin looked at his back as he walked away.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Debbie looked at Michael. She didn't know what to do. "You have to find him!"  
  
"I know. But Ben's right. What would we do if we did find him."  
  
"Bring him here."  
  
"They would find you. The police have tapped our phone."  
  
"I won't call you."  
  
"Mom, Horvath works for the police."  
  
"Screw Horvath!"  
  
"Okay, Mom, you're not thinking clearly. You're just angry about Hunter running away."  
  
"You're damn right I'm angry. How could he do that! You were trying to help him!"  
  
"He didn't want me to get in trouble with anyone." Debbie was silent. "Look, Ma, I know you're trying to help. Thank you, but we need to think fast, or else his mom will get him."  
  
"Michael, You're a genius!" 


End file.
